Friday, December 07, 2007

Survival of the fittest M&Ms

Fantastic evolution post on the best of Craigslist.

The post starts off with
Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.
And then, after a crushing test of fitness
Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.
Then the winning M&M is sent to Mars with a note
Please use this M&M for breeding purposes.
Best part - Mars sent him a coupon for free M&Ms which he considers "grant money." Who said evolution can't be fun.

Thanks to Michael Eisen for pointing this out.

1 comment:

  1. Now that is some science you can sink your teeth into. Very creative. However I fear that under this type of selective pressure it is only a matter of time until M&M's convergently evolve to become a new form of jaw breaker.

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